Education
Canopy of Care
How it started
To further our ‘Conservation through Education’ philosophy, we set the goal in our Environmental Management Plan to promote access and encourage the involvement of learning institutions. We want to engage more with young people who can feel that the scale of threats, like pollution and climate change, is overwhelming.
This became the ‘Canopy of Care’ which provides subsidised tours, curriculum-matched student resources, teacher professional development, fieldwork and citizen science opportunities.
What does ‘Canopy of Care’ offer?
Resources at your fingertips and fieldwork trips at your back door (well almost).
‘Canopy of Care’ provides the following services:
Teaching Resources
Suitable for Science, Geography, Outdoor and Environmental Education and Environmental Science, comprehensive resources have been developed about key issues currently facing our environment and Port Phillip Bay.
Climate Change and the Bay
Contains in depth reference material and activity sheets about the causes, nature and impacts of our changing climate. Importantly, this content also includes a specific case study on the nature of climate change for Port Phillip Bay and the associated impacts this has or may have on the Bays’ unique coastal and marine environments.
Plastics in our waterways
Contains well developed lesson plans on the nature, extent and the impacts of plastic pollution in our waterways at a global and national scale. With reference to the Clean Bay Blueprint developed by the Port Phillip EcoCentre, a local case study on plastic pollution in Port Phillip Bay has been developed.
Tourism in the Mornington Peninsula
Includes lesson plans on the nature of tourism within the Mornington Peninsula, the social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts and the management strategies to ensure the sustainability of tourism in this region.
Fieldwork Trips
To bring our curriculum resources to life and to provide the opportunity for students to see firsthand what has been discussed in the classroom, we have developed some great fieldwork trips that are unique, highly engaging, hands-on and potentially “life changing”. These trips can be tailored to suit your needs. They can either be facilitated and run by ‘Canopy of Care’ or resources with advice and assistance on how to run your own fieldwork trips in Port Phillip Bay and around the Mornington Peninsula coastline can be provided.
- Expert guest speakers for either fieldwork trips or school visits.
- PD sessions for teaching staff about the content in the online resources and how to implement these resources into their curriculum.
- Inspiration and support for community-based projects that address the pressures facing our waterways and coastal environments.
Port Phillip Bay ~ learn it, see beauty in it, love it, care for it
On-board and overboard™ experiences facilitated by ‘Canopy of Care’ on Polperro provide an understanding of the significance of our exquisitely rich and diverse, yet fragile marine environment. Encounter dolphins and seals, seabirds and reefs, understand key environmental issues such as plastics in our waterways and the pressures facing our coast.
Issues facing our Bay
Climate change and the Bay
See firsthand the impacts of climate change on the Bay’s ecosystem. Hop on board Polperro and immerse yourself in the Bay’s marine environment. Hear about the effects that climate change has and will have. On land using surveyor’s equipment, analyse the impacts of projected sea level rises. Visit sites impacted by increased storm activity.
Plastic not so fantastic
Board Polperro to see firsthand the beauty of the Bay and hear from the crew about the impacts of plastic pollution on this environment. Back on land discover the extent of this problem by undertaking beach audits at selected sites that survey and map the amount of plastics found.
Tourism in the Southern Peninsula
Hear from guest speakers from the region about the impacts of tourism. Visit popular tourist destinations to analyse the impacts of tourism and to evaluate the strategies implemented to ensure the sustainability of tourism.
Polperro – an ecotourism case study
Board Polperro for an opportunity to swim with dolphins and seals and to experience what makes Port Phillip Bay a unique environment. Observe firsthand the procedures and practices that make Polperro a benchmark business in Ecotourism. Guest speakers are also available to address the group after the boat trip.
What shapes our coastline
Visit selected sites to analyse the impact of physical and human forces on the coast. Spend time evaluating the strategies implemented to sustain this environment.